“Chase your dreams, never give up,” Mount Everest Duo Jayanthi and Johan tells students at CA Sri Lanka Leadership Talk

Summiting to the highest point of the world, was no easy feat for Sri Lanka’s triumphant Mount Everest Duo, Ms. Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala and Mr. Johann Peiris, who in an inspirational talk, motivated studentsof leading schools in Colombo and Negombo, advising them to chase after their dreams and never give up no matter how challenging a situation can be.

Jayanthi and Johann who were the guest speakers at the leadership Talk on ‘Conquering Ourselves’ organized by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), also shared their experience of summiting to the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest with prefects of 12 leading schools.

“We all have different mountains to climb, we all have our own Mount Everest to summit and they come in ways of exams, careers, sports or challenging the stereotype. So if you train, research and prepare yourself, you can always achieve your dreams,” Jayanthi said.

Jayanthi, who was the first ever Sri Lankan to summit Mount Everest, said that from her childhood days she used to climb trees, with her brother, and ever the cupboards at home to keep herself occupied. “My parents never discriminated me because I was a girl, so I had a very encouraging upbringing,” she said.

Even though Johann wasn’t a sportsperson during schools days, he always enjoyed outdoor activities and was always in search of adventure. It was his father, who introduced him to mountain climbing.

“Lots of people ask me, were you a sportsperson, but I wasn’t, not in school. But this is the message I can give everyone, even if you don’t have some ambitions when your small, you can always develop them later and achieve them,” he said.

According to Johann, at the very beginning many thought they were out of their mind, and had tried to discourage them from attempting to climb Mount Everest. But, both he and Jayanthi was able to convince everyone, and even secure sponsorship for their expedition.

During their summit, both Jayanthi and Johann faced many obstacles, and there were times when they just wanted to give up. “But that’s where team work came in, there were days when we wondered can we go on, many tears were shed, but we supported each other. When Johann was upset, I would tell him we have come so far, we have to do this, and when I was upset, then Johann would motivate me,” Jayanthi said.

According to her, to achieve such a feat, one needs 30 percent physical fitness and 70 percent mental strength. “You need so much mental strength, if there is anything you think you can’t do, then tell yourself you can do it. Because, its self-belief that will help you go forward,” she said.

Throughout her summit to the top, Jayanthi kept telling herself, ‘you can do this, you are here to do this, and you will do this.’

She said that during her successful expedition, she realized that if a person puts their mind to do something, and if they prepare and train for it, they can always achieve their dreams.

“We all have drams, and they are not only about climbing mountains. So it’s important to remember that if you train and prepare yourself, you can achieve anything you dream of,” she said.

Johann, who made it beyond camp 4, said that one must never give up even though one might not reach a certain point.

“Even though I didn’t make it to the peak, I don’t think I am a failure. All of us aim for something, just because you don’t get there it must not make you demotivated. Even if you are second or third, it doesn’t mean you have lost,” said Johann who was unable to summit to the peak due to the lack of oxygen.

He advised the students to never give up, even if they don’t get to a certain point.

“Keep going, chase after your dreams, and you will achieve it most of the time, if not all the time,” he added.

President of CA Sri Lanka, Mr. Lasantha Wickremasinghe addressing the students said that the audience comprised of many Jayanthis and Johanns, who have the potential to make a difference in the world and bring honour to Sri Lanka.

He noted that self-belief is the most important criteria for anyone to be successful, immaterial if they wanted to be a hiker, doctor, lawyer or an accountant. What you need is belief in yourself, along with hard work and dedication to succeed in your life,” he said.

Mr. Wickremasinghe noted that to reach to the top it takes a lot of hard work, commitment, sacrifice, and sometimes even tears.

“Not many may have the flair within to achieve what Jayanthi and Johann achieved by summiting Mount Everest, but each and every one of you have your own unique skill and talent, and so it’s important to harness that skill so you can achieve greater things in your future,” he said.

Students from D.S SenanayakeVidyalaya, Ananda College, St Paul’s Girls School, Musaeus College, VisakaVidiyalaya, Presidents College, Devi BalikaVidiyalaya, St Bridget’s Convent, Thurstan College, DharmapalaVidiyalaya, Loyala College and Wesley College took part in the event.